23 October 2003

In a study which could only shock those who don't work in criminal law, the Human Rights Watch tells us that a significant portion of those in jail/prison are mentally ill.

No kidding? You mean those guys who are all fired up and yelling at me when I meet with them on Tuesday but sit in a corner and barely talk to me on Thursday have something wrong with them? What about the guys I have to sit and explain something to 15 to 20 times because they just can't seem to comprehend anything that takes longer than 10 seconds to explain? Or the guys who leave messages so long that they fill up my voice-mail but never say anything pertinent to the case? You mean these guys have mental problems?

Yet, when I get court ordered evaluations for them almost all seem to pass the legal standard for competency.

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